ARUA
by Ger0nim0
Summary: Worlds have been connected, thanks to the Oldest House. But now, an uncontrollable source of evil is spreading and taking over these worlds. With the support of the FBC, a former Marine, two communists and a group of Nazarick natives will work together in teeth-clenched teamwork to stop the viral force only known as the Hiss.
1. Chapter 1

*ABC* = Korean

_[ABC]_ = Russian

"_**ABC"**_/"ABC" = _**Japanese**_/English

VVVVVVVVV

January 10, 1992

_[Hi. This will my first and only audio recording, and I have absolutely no idea what to say to this thing. I guess I should introduce myself, or something like that. My name is _Shirokova_. I have been having strange dreams lately. I would see a man in military garb, another man in a red and white suit, and a woman in a blue and black suit. I've never seen the former, but the latter of the two struck as odd. I thought to myself, why do they look familiar?]_

_[After that, I started hearing this long paragraph of some kind. It was sort of like a mantra, repeating over and over and over. Let me read it to you.]_

_[You are a worm through time. The thunder song distorts you. Happiness comes. White pearls, but yellow and red in the eye. Through a mirror, inverted is made right. Leave your insides by the door. Push the fingers through the surface into the wet. You've always been the new you. You want this to be true. We stand around while you dream. You can almost hear our words but you forget. This happens more and more now. You gave us the permission in your regulations. We wait in the stains. The word that describes this is redacted. Repeat the word. The name of the sound. It resonates in your house. After the song, time for applause. We build you until nothing remains. The egg cracks and the truth will emerge out of you. You are home. You remind us of home. You've taken your boss with your boss with you. All hair must be eaten. Under the conceptual reality behind this reality you must want these waves to drag you away. After the song, time for applause. This cliché is death out of time, breaking the first the second the third the fourth wall, fifth wall, floor; no floor: you fall! How do you say "insane"? Hurts to be happy. An earworm is a tune you can't stop humming in a dream: "baby baby baby, yeah!" Just plastic. So safe and nothing to worry about. Ha ha, funny. The last egg breaks now. The hole in your room is a hole in you. You came and we let you in through the hole in you. You have always been here, the only child. A copy of a copy of a copy. Orange peel. The picture is you holding the picture. When you hear this you will know you're in new you. You want to listen. You want to dream. You want to smile. You want to hurt. You don't want to be.]_

_[Did you get that? Me neither. I could not understand anything that has been said in there. I think that if you wrote it down like a poem, it would look much better, wouldn't it? Anyway, I've used up a lot of tape in here, so if anyone finds this in the archives of the former Soviet Union, please know that you will never be able to catch me. Just putting that out there.]_

**End Log**

VVVVVVVVV

Interrogation room

Unknown location in North Korea

December 8, 2020

4:30 AM

*Okay, I'm sorry. I'll cooperate with you and answer any questions you have.*

Gerome Richardson was currently handcuffed to a bolted-down table somewhere with a guard for company. Said guard was blocking the only way out of the room. Not like he was going anywhere. He waited patiently for his interrogator to arrive, meanwhile trying to talk to the guard, with little success.

The guard in question was a man of average height and tired eyes holding a Type 88 assault rifle, a locally made variant of the AK-74 assault rifle. Every time he and Gerome met eye to eye, the guard would stare at him with contempt, as if an enemy was trying to pretend that he wasn't planning on leaving. Gerome was only trying to talk to him!

Anyway, the former Marine had given up on talking to the guard when someone knocked on the door. The guard opened it to reveal two individuals. Another KPA soldier and…

_Wait, it can't be,_ he thought, his eyes widened at seeing the two newcomers. The KPA soldier was a young woman about 5 ft. 4in. tall; a beauty with snow-white skin, sharp black almond-shaped eyes and long black hair tied to a ponytail.

"Lady Shalltear, what are you doing here?" Gerome then moved his eyes to the smaller individual, who was looking at him in a very odd way. She was 4' 7", wore a dark-colored evening dress with a large heavy skirt. The upper part of her dress had a lace embellished ribbon and a short tailored jacket, and she wore long lace gloves that completely obscured the color on her hands. A large bow tied her long silver hair to a ponytail, and a bonnet-like headwear covered most of her head, except for her face. Some of her hair even stuck out of the headwear, giving her a more childish appearance. While she gave off the presence of an experienced woman, she looked no more than fourteen years old. But the one thing that made her stand out the most was not her age or attire, but _what_ she was. Her pale skin, red slit eyes and fangs slightly poking out of her mouth made Gerome know that he was not talking to a human, but instead, a vampire.

Gerome's sudden words to the vampire in question rewarded him with a whack to his back via the shoulder stock of an assault rifle. The unknown vampire raised her hand to cease the activities the male guard made to shut the American's mouth, and then spoke in a cold and lightly accented voice, "American, do not talk to me like you know me. I am only here to ask you some questions and I will leave your body as is, if I like your answers." She sat down on a chair across from Gerome and laid her hands on the table, her nails becoming notably long and piercing through the left glove. "Now, tell me. How did you arrive here?"

"I arrived here through a portal, ma'am," he answered.

"Right. And where did you find this portal?"

"In America, in front of my house. I was curious to see what was on the other side and, well, you know what happened."

The vampire interrogator wrote down, with her normal hand, more of what he said in a small notebook. "All right. You have no intent on spying on North Korea?"

"No ma'am."

"Good, because I do not want any more paperwork involving you. I have heard about _you_ after all."

Silence went on for a while until the vampire spoke up. "On a personal note, why did you call me 'Lady Shalltear'?"

It took a while for Gerome to respond with an answer. "Would you believe me," he began, slowly, "if I said that you look _exactly_ like the vampire from the Tomb of Nazarick."

The moment he mentioned "Nazarick…"

"Um, ma'am? Are you okay?" The vampire interrogator had her head down and was dead silent which worried the guards and Gerome. The KPA woman approached her with her hand outstretched, as if to comfort the vampire when…

* * *

"_Wait! Don't leave me alone! I can still fight!"_

"_No! I will not let you die again. Not this time. Survive for our sakes, Sh**l*ea* *loodfal***."_

"_No. Lord ***. No! NO! *******************************!"_

"_[TEMPORAL TELEPORTATION]!"_

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

With a loud screech, she caused all of Korea to go dark, including parts of nearby countries. Only Gerome knew as to what she did to cause it. And then he felt himself being "moved."

* * *

Pyongyang, North Korea

9:00 AM

With no power to start up the cars, the Korean People's Army had to get around either on foot or on a bicycle. For a couple of hours, the country had no power until they started up the back-up generators. And even then, it wasn't enough. The generators could only power up 15% percent of the capital. Even so, with the help of the KPA, the North Korean citizens continued their daily lives like nothing happened. Only a handful of individuals were having a rough day. The penthouse of the Ryugyong Hotel was occupied by KPA soldiers. They were told to investigate Lady Shirokova, for she was suspected to be hiding something. They all found nothing except for her diary. However, not only was the diary written with a mixture of Russian and English, it was also encrypted. In a strange way, nothing was missing from the penthouse other than a large bag, clothes, passports, three handguns, one sniper rifle, one carbine rifle, ammo, various blades, and other miscellaneous items. It was as if they never existed. There were no signs of entry or exit of the penthouse either, which made the investigation even stranger.

For two weeks, the affected areas were without power, and the world wanted to know who, or what, caused the power outage.

* * *

Unknown location

*Hae-min? Hae-min, are you alright?*

*I'm fine for now, Lady Shirokova.*

In the middle of a well made stone hall was Shirokova and Lee Hae-min. They were caught unaware by a phenomenon that they currently do not remember. What they did know was that from the architecture of the hall, they were no longer in North Korea. Instead, the hall they stood in resembled something out of a western fantasy story. But letting the environment distract them for even a moment could lead to danger. So they had their guard up by raising their weapons, ready to kill. Hae-min held on to her Type 88 assault rifle like her life depended on it. Shirokova pulled out her concealed Makarov pistol from her ankle. The vampire's pistol was a PB model, a "silenced pistol", meant for espionage done by the former USSR's KGB and special units of the Soviet Army.

Shirokova was usually calm, but now she felt a sense of déjà vu, like she knew these halls. That she felt more at ease, more at…

_…Home._

*Hae-min, stay with me,* she commanded. *We don't know what's down here and who could be living here. It's only a hunch, but something feels wrong with this place.*

*I agree, milady,* the female soldier responded. *This is unfamiliar territory after all. And I do feel safer being with you.* Hae-min shot a small smile to the short vampire before facing down the hall. It felt like a maze as they walked along the halls. After twenty minutes of walking, they found a door. They took both sides of the door, and listened in for voices.

_**"…There is someone behind the door."  
"Check who it is. It might be Lord ***."**_

_** "Or it could be Shizu's new friend. Damn cockroach."**_

_Who are they talking about?_ Shirokova thought.

_**"Eh, I don't think it's any of them. One of them smells like Lady Sh*******. The other smells like you, Narberal Gamma~.**_

The KPA soldier and the vampire spy froze at the possibility that they have been caught so soon. Footsteps could be heard, and they were approaching the door. The door opened and they had their guns trained on…

…a red-haired maid with a slit skirt.

_**"Who is that woman with you, Lady Sha******? Another one of you toys? And why does she have a weapon in her hands?"**_

_Why is it that whenever I attempt to hear certain names, they get blocked off like a censor bleeping a word in a classified document?_

* * *

Gerome felt weird going through what he called a "teleportation event." To make things worse, he didn't see the vampire interrogator or her guard. In fact, he realized that he was back in the Tomb of Nazarick. Specifically, on the 6th Floor of Nazarick.

(RAPID FIRE)

"Ah, I think that would be Shizu," he said to himself as he jogged to the source of gun fire. Sure enough, at the Amphitheater, he found the eyepatch-wearing Automaton firing his KRISS Vector submachine gun at a hay stack dummy. He remembered lending a few of his weapons to her when she took interest to the power of his firearms. Her personal opinion? "They are weak."

She only stated the truth and nothing else. However, despite that, Gerome had shown the battle maids, and anyone capable of physical and ranged combat, that even though he was "weak", they should NEVER underestimate him. That he made sure of.

"…"

"…_embrace me."_

Gerome swerved his head, wondering where the voice he heard came from. "Shizu, did you hear something?"

"I'm not sure. Sounded like a man," the Automaton responded with her signature flat, monotone voice.

The American then wondered where the soldier and the vampire were, at the moment.

VVVVVVV

Gerome's Audio Diary

Log #25

One hour and a half later

This is my thirtieth time coming here to Nazarick, and for once, I did not come here through a portal. From what I can tell, that "Lady Shirokova" did that teleportation thingamajig. Either way, it caused an uproar that Ainz and I could barely control. Eventually, everyone had calmed down, but Albedo seems to be faking her calmness and is actually still seething underneath her mask. You **do not** want to know what happened back there, trust me.

Anyway, as I was saying, the KPA soldier, Lee Hae-min, and Shirokova are currently under investigation right now. What strikes me as peculiar is that both Miss Lee and Shirokova stand out as identical to Narberal Gamma and Shalltear Bloodfallen, respectively. As of late, however, I've noticed that Aura has been acting strangely. Whenever anyone asks her if she was okay, she would shrug it off, claiming that she was okay and walk away in a hurry. I don't know about you, but it has been worrying everyone in the tomb. She has been giving off this very bad vibe, like something that could hurt you. Her smiles became too wide, she gets twitchy and she's been muttering to herself. Kind of like talking to someone…

(Mr. Richardson, are you ready to talk to the prisoners?)

Oh, yeah, umm. I'll be there. Thank you, Sebas.

(No problem, sir.)

_**End Log**_

VVVVVVVV

Log #27

Two weeks later

Ever since I've helped Aura, the others, finish the Nazarick decoy, that girl has trying to avoid us lately. And when Ainz accidently showed us the two Lizardmen, Crusch and Zaryusu, uhhhhh, _in bed_. Yeah, sounds about right. Anyway, when he accidently showed us that and immediately shut off the Mirror, my video camera was catching something. I was recording Ainz sitting on a _happy_ Shalltear to humiliate him at the time, and I didn't hear the strange sound. But when I played back the video, I began hearing a man's voice within it. I'll read out the transcript.

"I will be back, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You will never manipulate me, control me. We shall be one!"

After that, the audio in the video became heavily corrupted and I couldn't fix it. After mentioning this to the NPC, Demiurge, he claimed that he may have heard the voice during Shalltear's "punishment", but he could not understand it. He claimed that the voice was garbled, making it hard for him to discern the words. At the same time, however, he began hearing what he described as "an unlikeable hissing sound, so bad that it cannot be trusted."

I wonder what he meant by unlikeable hissing noise? Well I guess that could wait. I gotta go with Demiurge and Albedo as additional eyes and protection for their visit to the princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Bye.

**End Log**

VVVVVVVV

Throne room of Nazarick

December 29, 2020

6:00 PM (New World Standard Time)

"Aura, what the hell are you doing?!"

In the middle of the throne room, the dark elf child, Aura Bella Fiora, had the attention of Gerome, Ainz and the rest of the NPCs as they looked on to see her holding a subcompact pistol. Not knowing where she got it, they immediately went on the defensive. But the beast tamer didn't seem all that interested in them as her attention turned towards the gun in her hand. Gerome identified it as a Glock 26 pistol with the standard capacity of ten 9 mm rounds in the magazine. Without warning, she shot herself. The American expected her to fall to the ground like most corpses did, but that wasn't the case. She stood there, head hanging back, then she whipped her head forward to gaze at the shocked individuals before her. Her bullet wound showed no blood and instead had a red haze seeping out of the holes before the holes healed themselves.

**"…You are a worm through time. The thunder song distorts you. Happiness comes. White pearls, but yellow and red in the eye. Through a mirror, inverted is made right. Leave your insides by the door. Push the fingers through the surface into the wet. You've always been the new you. You want this to be true. We stand around while you dream. You can almost hear our words but you forget. This happens more and more now. You gave us the permission in your regulations. We wait in the stains. The word that describes this is redacted. Repeat the word. The name of the sound. It resonates in your house. After the song, time for applause. We build you until nothing remains. The egg cracks and the truth will emerge out of you. You are home. You remind us of home. You've taken your boss with your boss with you. All hair must be eaten. Under the conceptual reality behind this reality you must want these waves to drag you away. After the song, time for applause. This cliché is death out of time, breaking the first the second the third the fourth wall, fifth wall, floor; no floor: you fall! How do you say "insane"? Hurts to be happy. An earworm is a tune you can't stop humming in a dream: "baby baby baby, yeah!" Just plastic. So safe and nothing to worry about. Ha ha, funny. The last egg breaks now. The hole in your room is a hole in you. You came and we let you in through the hole in you. You have always been here, the only child. A copy of a copy of a copy. Orange peel. The picture is you holding the picture. When you hear this you will know you're in new you. You want to listen. You want to dream. You want to smile. You want to hurt. You don't want to be."**

During the incantation, the world began to change in an unexpected way. Said incantation was repeated over and over. And then, everything went black.

VVVVVVV

Gerome's New Audio Diary

Log #1

December 30, 2020

Are you expecting an explanation on what happened back there? Welp, too bad. Things will only get even more confusing as I tell you this story. It goes like this:

Ever since Aura became… whatever the hell she became, the Tomb of Nazarick began to change. After that, we don't remember anything else. And based the red haze we saw earlier, we will be encountering it much more in the future. What's more is that we found a door that led to a strange skyscraper in present-day New York City. From what I understand, Nazarick, and the New World, have been affected by this phenomenon and have been connected to the NYC skyscraper.

This Brutalist-styled building was one of the tallest in the city; no one is able to see it for some odd reason. We were wondering what had happened when we suddenly heard that the building was in a lockdown. If you are wondering why I'm using a tape recorder from the mid-1970s, it's because the more modern technology, smart phones, Playstation Portables, smart watches, etc, are not allowed here. Even No. 2 pencils are not allowed here! I mean, why are they not—

(Hissing noises)

Oh SHIT!

**End Log**


	2. Chapter 2

*ABC* = Korean

_[ABC]_ = Russian

"_**ABC"**_/"ABC" = _**Japanese**_/English

VVVVVVV

"_In the Oldest House, you can explore for one week, and you would never be able to find the end. And that is because there _is_ no end. When entering a Place of Power, expect the laws of physics to no longer apply."_

-Zachariah Trench

VVVVVVV

New York City, New York

December 29, 2020

1:00

33 Thomas Street

Headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control (AKA the Oldest House)

Executive Sector

Director's Office

Gerome couldn't remember what had happened. What he did know was this:

He was lying on the floor and was staring at a ceiling he wasn't familiar with.

He got up and patted himself, happy that his vest, pistol and ammo clips were still on his person. But he tensed when he felt a presence staring at him. Hand on his gun, he turned around, ready to whip it out at any moment.

Sitting at a desk was a middle-aged man wearing a suit and tie and a pair of half-rimmed glasses. He had an expression that said he had seen many things that could bring terror into the hearts of men. Gerome couldn't help but feel…

"I'm sorry," he said, "but have we met before?"

* * *

Research Sector

Dr. Darling's Office

12:00

Of all the things to happen to the man, he did not expect an Asian woman in a KPA uniform along with an assault rifle to crash land onto the floor. She and the rifle just came out of nowhere! Despite her injuries, the woman got back up with her rifle and aimed it at him. "Down!" she said in a thick accent, gesturing her rifle to the floor. The man, Dr. Casper Darling, activated a silent alarm, letting nearby security know that there's trouble in his office. When they arrived, it took stealth and numbers took incapacitate her.

* * *

Maintenance Sector

Janitorial Department

1:15

"Hmmm~ Brrrup bup bup bup."

In the middle of the floor lay the two members of the battle maid squad, the Pleiades. One was an Automaton, and the second was an Arachnoid. CZ2128 Delta and her "sister", Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, woke up to the sound of a man singing and of a mop swishing around the floor nearby. They got up quietly and with light feet, walked to the source of the singing. In a well lit room stood a man in dark clothes and grey hair, who was currently mopping the floor. His back was towards them, giving them an opportunity to sneak past him. Or so they thought.

"So a spider-girl and an Automaton walked down the hall…"

They froze as the man stopped mopping and turned around to gaze at them. His expression on his aging face showed no satisfaction to their being discovered by a lowly janitor, nor did he show pleasure that he knew what they were. He just gave a small smile and spoke with an odd accent, "I know what you are thinking. 'How did a lowly human cleaner notice us and know what we are?' Well, in this place, in the Oldest House, you can expect many things that are not of this world to appear, even here. Questions?"

The two battle maids stood there, unsure on what to do or say.

"Well, in the meantime," the man continued, "might need to help your _elf_ friend in the Quarry."

* * *

Black Rock Quarry

1:30

"Cha-cha! Are you alright, Mare?" Shirokova inquired, despite the verbal tics coming back. She lacked the medicine to suppress it.

"I-I'm fine!" the dark elf boy replied.

In a strange area was what appeared to be a mine. A mine filled with what was something that they will know later. For now Shirokova had to carry a queasy Mare out of the mine, even though she was queasy herself. She couldn't remember what had happened back in Nazarick. It turned out that Mare couldn't remember anything remember either. The last thing they remembered was the changing of the throne room in Nazarick and a seemingly possessed Aura.

"Po-po-po! Sorry. I can't control it."

"I-It's fine."

Neither noticed a short figure standing in the distance with one glowing red left eye.

* * *

Executive Sector

Central Executive

2:05

It was one thing to be vulnerable to your enemies. It was another thing to be embarrassed by two women who wanted to protect you. That was the situation that Ainz Ooal Gown had found himself in. In a room with an inverted black pyramid in the center of the ceiling, Ainz, Albedo, Shalltear, Demiurge, and the three more members of the Pleiades found themselves surrounded by men and women in differing attire and carrying old fashioned firearms. Ainz, for once, was unsure of what to do. Sure, back in his day, he would get attacked by players who attack other player who pose as a heteromorphic race. But that was in a fantasy-based VR game. This was a retro-futuristic disaster waiting to happen. In a calm voice he asked the many humans in the room,

"Can we talk about this?"

VVVVVVV

(Bureau jingle)

Dr. Darling's Research on Different Races (Part 1)

[CLASSIFIED]

8:10

In the video, a tired man with round glasses wearing a white lab coat and a sweater stood there with a nervous smile. He looked behind a window where he could see a dark elf child sitting on a chair.

"This could change everything. Th-there were possibilities of other races from other world, but nothing like this!"

He walked up to a microphone and spoke into it.

"Hello young la-, uh, man. I'm sorry, I-I just-. You look like a girl. Anyway, umm, can you tell me anything about yourself?"

The dark elf child looked uncomfortable, yet determined.

"W-Well, I guess it w-wouldn't hurt. My name is Mare Bello F-Fiore. I am a-a dark elf, and I am actually a boy, despite what I am w-wearing. A-And I can also wield magic."

(Bureau jingle)

Property of the Federal Bureau of Control

_End Video_

XXXXXXXXX

(Bureau jingle)

Dr. Darling's Research on Different Races (Part 2)

[CLASSIFIED]

"And _why_ must I introduce myself to you, worm?"

In part two of the video, a battle maid with black hair glared at the individual behind the camera. The individual in question, Dr. Darling, responded in a skittish tone of voice,

"Well, uhhh…"

"(Sigh) I am only going to say this once, so you better remember it. I am-"

(ROAR!)

"What the hell?"

(Bureau jingle)

Property of the Federal Bureau of Control

_End video_

VVVVVVVVV

Containment Sector

Panopticon

11:00

Gerome had managed to finish all the books that were in his "cell." He was bored again. The stories were great and all, but some of them, he had already read them before. _I wonder if my… Oh what am I saying? Of course they're worried! Who wouldn't be worried about it?_ As he paced around his cell, he heard the alarms go off.

"**RESONANCE SIGNATURE DETECTED. PLEASE PROCEED TO THE NEAREST SAFE ROOM AND— (FEEDBACK). False alarm."**

_And this is my time to break out and help people. Again._ Concentrating, he blew away the glass that held him inside. Apologizing to the nearby guard before knocking him out, and taking his Lewis gun, he jogged to the other cells, where he saw the other Nazarick natives. One of the first ones he released was Ainz. Given the way they way the NPCs seemingly worship the former salaryman, it was best to let him out first. But when he got a better view of the Leader of Nazarick, he noticed something that did not fit with the rest of the skeleton's style of attire. "What is that you're wearing?"

Ainz was wearing a vest-like device that, for some odd reason, emitted a strange humming noise. He checked the back of it to see the letters, FBC, the acronyms for the Bureau. "Who gave it to you?" Gerome inquired.

"A middle-aged man came stumbling in with a large cart full of those vests," Ainz explained. "He said that we're going to need them, for a dangerous entity is coming."

It was odd to the former Marine. Why someone would just suddenly distributed the vests, telling them that they need it? "And who was this person, if I may ask?"

"Casper Darling."

* * *

*Where am I?*

_[What is this place?]_

"_**It's so cold in here."**_

"everything is red."

I want…to go…home…

…ha ha, _**funny**_.

* * *

Why have you brought me here?

* * *

New World

Re-Estize Kingdom

January 2, 2021

1:00

There was an invasion of some kind. It was not an invasion of monsters, of any kind. It was not an invasion done by the demi-humans, or humans. Instead, it was invaded by a new type of force. And one man traveled across the kingdom to warn them about it. No one believed the foreign man when he said that the entity was not a man or a demi-human, but a "freak of nature" that must be destroyed immediately. No one listened to him when he said that _everyone_ must band together to stop the hostile force. A handful few, however, took heed in his words. A female albino Lizardman was one of the few.

Crusch Lulu, the chieftain of Red Eye, and current slave to the new and developing Sorcerous Kingdom, was visiting the kingdom's capital under their orders when she met him along the way. He introduced himself as Casper Darling, a human researcher in "paranatural" events, objects and places. At first he came off as excited when he saw her, wanting to know what she was, her habits and if her people have any culture of their own. But when he looked at the metal horse-less carriage he came out of, his smile faded away and, without a word, walked to it to get something out of it. What he grabbed was what looked like a vest with a roundish contraption at the center. He was very insistent in telling her to wear it and never take it off. When asked why, the human researcher told of his time in the Federal Bureau of Control, a secretive organization from his world, whose goal was to find, contain and study the unusual. Something happened in the organization he worked in, something horrifying. His leader, Trench, released something from an "Object of Power"; in turn, their headquarters, and his people, slowly chipped away by what sounded like sentient dark magic or demons. And the only thing that could protect the people from this force was "Hedron resonance."

"I'm worried that this force, this Hiss, is going to invade everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything."

Those were his final words to the albino Lizardman before hopping into his carriage and riding off to the distance.

* * *

(Bureau jingle)

_Introduction to Paranatural Topics_

Presentation 31.4

Presented by: Dr. Casper Darling

Research assistance provided by: Carla Vaughn and Hubert Tan

Dr. Darling, all haggard, took off his glasses and took a breath before speaking in a tired voice. In front of him on the table is a roundish contraption with vest straps.

"I've been fielding questions recently regarding HRAs:

"What are they for? Do you always need to wear them? And (with a halfheartedly playful tone) what's the deal with the Hedron resonance, anyway?"

"I'll-"

As he swiped his arm, his drink, assumed to be liquor, to his right is bumped off the table, crashing to the floor.

"...Fuck."

Dr. Darling gets off his chair to clean up his mess. The video cuts to a later shot of him sitting down again as he continues to speak about the HRAs.

"Despite what you may have heard, HRAs are not monitoring devices. We are not tracking your movements or listening to your conversations while you're wearing them."

Video cuts again, skipping long pause.

"We do that regardless of whether or not you're wearing an HRA."

As he speaks, he grabs and fiddles with the HRA.

"Think of them as a life preserver. Only instead of water, the thing HRAs protect you from is…classified. One day that classified not-water might pour in, and you'll be glad you've got an HRA keeping you afloat.

"And if you don't have an HRA, don't worry. It'll be quick and painless."

He laughs a quiet dry laugh as he rubs the side if his head.

"Kidding. I'm kidding. We're making more."

(Bureau jingle)

Property of the Federal Bureau of Control

_End video_

* * *

June 22, 2021

Executive Sector

Outside the Director's Office

For all her life, she was about to meet the director of the Bureau himself. She was—

(POW!)

Jesse Faden, a woman in dark clothes, froze from the suspicious noise coming from the office. She slowly crept up to it and slowly opened the door. She was ready for what she had seen. Standing behind the desk was a pale white reptilian humanoid with tattoos, wearing an unknown tribal neck garb and a vest with the letters, FBC, on the back. At its feet was a body of a man bleeding from the head. In the creature's right hand was a strange gun that seems to move a bit. And it was pointing the gun at its head.

* * *

A few minutes earlier

"What the-? Where am I?"

Crusch Lulu was curious about a piece of string that was hanging in the room of an inn she was staying at. Nothing seemed off at the inn other than a handful of people she had seen wearing the same thing she was wearing, a vest with a roundish contraption to the front. While she tried to sleep, she sensed something on the ceiling. The Lizardman opened her eyes to see a thin rope with a small handle hanging in the dark room. It was not there when she had lied down on her bed. She got up to inspect it; finding nothing wrong, she pulled the chord a few times out of curiosity. The result was surprising.

She felt something happening to her body, which quickly faded away.

(POW!)

The loud sound made her jump and she struggled to see what happened in the suddenly bright room. The moment her eyes adjusted, Crusch gasped in shock. A man in a suit had seemingly killed himself with a handgun. The body was on the floor as well as the gun. She crept closer to the body, confirming that the man was dead. She touched the handgun—

* * *

Testing, testing, testing

We are broadcasting from the Pyramid/Other

Only the Director can wield the Gun/Sword/Intentionally left blank

Your application will be processed

Only the Director can wield the Service Weapon and Live/Die

This is your Ritual/Challenge

You must choose to be the Chosen One

* * *

The noise she heard had brought to a world that resembled nothing like her own. For lack of a better description, Crusch Lulu was dumbfounded to find herself in a white void with only the black blocks she stood on as floors and walls and a giant inverted Black Pyramid.

"W-What is this place?" she murmured as she walked down the black pathway of the white void. A path that she did not understand, but felt that it meant life or death.


	3. Intro

"_Et Ratio Principalis" by Petri Alanko and Martin Stig Andersen_

(From the original soundtrack for _Control_.)

_Play?_

[A slow fade in to the interior of the Throne Room. Fade out.]

[The red glow of the moon.]

Written by Ger0nim0

[The empty city streets in every New World country.]

Based on the LN/anime/manga series _Overlord..._

[The red glow underneath the flesh of combatants.]

[The violent Building Shifts of the Oldest House.]

[The floating citizens of Re-Estize.]

[A red "splotch" of resonance.]

[Various adventurer groups traveling across country by horse.]

[Lupusregina Beta holding an old-fashioned tape recorder.]

...and the Remedy Entertainment video game, _Control_.

[The floating Benicoff TV set.]

[A clip of a disturbed Dr. Darling]

[A KPA soldier in a torn military uniform with an HRA.]

[The interior of Oceanview Motel & Casino]

[A short silver-haired vampire in a grey T-shirt, pants and sneakers in fetal position.]

[A giant inverted Black Pyramid in the night sky of the New World, visible for all to see.]

[A brief flash of a giant glowing Red Pyramid over a hellish urban landscape, leaving darkness within the city, with the exception of a brightly lit hotel.]

**ARUA**


	4. Chapter 3

Astral Plane

Crusch Lulu was more of an indoor person during the day, and an outdoor person at night. Being that way, she never actually had to physically fight anyone, for she could wield magic. But then came in a strange human named Geronimo. As a former soldier from another world, he carried strange ranged-weapons. He'd occasionally show her how certain "guns" should be held. From rifles to handguns, he showed everything he could show to her. But that was he could do, show her how they work. If her hands were human hands, they would have fit through the trigger guards. Sadly, they weren't.

However, in the world known as the Astral Plane, there was only the white void, the black blocks, and a giant inverted Black Pyramid. And she feel power coming from it. Like they could do anything in this world. As she walked to the end of her destination, she heard the noise again.

Bubblegum/Polaroid

All/None of the above

These are the Concepts/Tattoos we see in your Minds

The Service Weapon

It has many Forms

Like the House/Prison you occupy

Crusch was blocked by a black animate statue. Being told by the Noise to punch it, she balled her hand into a fist and swung at it. The result was a power blast of air that blew up the statue. In front of her was the handgun again, but this time, it was bigger to accommodate for her hands. As she reached out to grab it-

Control the Gun/House

The chieftain of Red Eye felt a force resisting her the moment she grabbed the handgun. It was as if testing her, not just physically, but mentally as well. Willing her control on the gun, she managed to push out the force. The gun felt odd throughout her body. Like it became a part of her.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Executive Sector

June 22, 2021

22:55

"…Hmm? Researcher Pope, I sense a presence here in the Executive Sector. Two of them, in fact."

It had been three days since the invasion. CZ2128 Delta, AKA Shizu, along with Emily Pope and a few other members of the FBC were staying inside of one of the many Shelters that were built within the building. The Shelters, or safe rooms, were usually used to take shelter whenever there was a Building Shift. Now they were used to hide from the malicious entities that controlled the various agents of the Bureau. And without the HRA vests they were wearing, they would have been taken by "them."

"That does not sound good," the short-haired blonde said in worry. "If they're visitors, they will be taken by this force."

* * *

Princess Renner's room

Re-Estize Kingdom

June 22, 2021

Same time

Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, the princess of the Re-Estize was known throughout the land as a woman with unparalleled beauty and kindness. While it was true of the former, those who knew her best preferred to watch what they say around her. Especially if it involved a certain man named Climb. Some criminals knew her as the aptly named "bitch in sheep's clothing." She would use her own beauty to her advantage, and when no one was looking, she would be scheming something. As of now, she was scheming.

In her elegant dress, she stood still with her eyes closed. A red light beneath her skin flashed before fading away. Renner raised her arms and began to float in the middle of her room. She ordered every servant in the castle to never disturb her while she was in her room so that they never saw what she was really doing.

**"You are a worm through time. The thunder song distorts you. Happiness comes. White pearls, but yellow and red in the eye. Through a mirror, inverted is made right…"**

Throughout the castle, from maids to knights to chefs to mentors, they float in the spaces they reside in within its walls, chanting along with the princess. Only one knight stood out from the rest, and had an HRA on.

* * *

Astral Plane

Crusch never thought that trying to aim the gun would be a challenge. But in the end, she managed to kill all the black statues that attacked her. It was time for her to leave.

You/We wield the Gun/You

The Board appoints you

Congratulations, Director

The Lizardman felt herself going back to the world she temporarily left, but before that, she saw a vision of the dead man that she saw before. And in that vision, she heard his voice.

"Something's coming…this threat…an attack…duty as Director…keep the Bureau safe."

* * *

The Oldest House

Executive Sector

Director's Office

June 22, 2021

23:00

She was back, but she was not alone. In the office with her was a human female around mid-20s, had reddish-brown hair and wore black clothes. Above the woman, Crusch could sense an entity. She couldn't see it, but she knew it was there above the woman.

"What are you?"

The woman got ready to run when Crusch slowly approached her. "Wait, don't run," the chieftain-turned-Director spoke softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The woman eventually eased a bit when it was clear the Lizardman had no intention of harming her. "I am Crusch Lulu. What is your name?"

It had been a few moments of shock before the woman could speak, "You can speak English?"

"I am a quick learner," she responded.

The woman looked wary, but did not comment on it. She walked towards the double-doors that automatically opened to reveal the outside of the office. It was incredibly dark, save for a red light down the corridor. There was a presence in corridor besides the one with the human. And it immediately began to invade her, brightening the room with red light. She screamed in pain as Crusch jogged to her and began her healing spell; meanwhile the entity began doing something to the human. After a few moments, the malicious force was pushed out, thanks to the entity. The lights flickered back, replacing the red light from earlier.

"Are you alright?" Crusch inquired, keeping aware of their surroundings.

"I'm okay," the woman answered. "I do NOT want to feel that ever again."

Suddenly, the Lizardman pulled the woman off the floor and settled her down behind a desk as gunfire could be heard from the corridor. Crusch immediately began to shoot back at what appeared to be humans. However, the slight red glow beneath their skin and the twitching heads suggested that they were being controlled. _My apologies, as warriors, you must be given an honorary death,_ she thought to herself as she killed one of the armed men and aimed her Service Weapon down another.

The gunfight continued on for a while.

* * *

Shelter in Central Executive

Fifteen minutes later

Everyone, except, Shizu, grew restless as they felt the vibrations of the Buiding Shifts. But then fifteen minutes later, they heard gunfire outside of the Shelter. After five minutes more, it stopped. The Bureau agents within panicked when they felt the Building Shifts again. At the same time, however, the presence of the malicious entity was gone. Seeing it as an opportunity to know who was out there, Emily Pope walked to the intercom and spoke through the built-in microphone.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Are you with us? With the Bureau? Are you still sane?"

It was not long before a face of a woman appeared on the intercom's screen. "I can't tell you how happy I am to talk to somebody sane."

"The feeling's mutual…" Emily trailed off as she saw a pale white creature walking up behind the woman. "Wh-What the hell is that thing behind you?!"

"Huh?" The woman looked behind her, then back at the intercom. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that she was with me on the way here. So what's your name?"

Pope hesitated for a moment before deciding to introduce herself. "I'm Pope, Emily Pope, Dr. Darling's assistant."

"Jesse Faden. I'm just visiting."

"My name is Crusch Lulu," the creature behind Faden said. "I am a chieftain of the Lizardman tribe, Red Eye."

"Oh shit! You're the new Director. Hold on," Pope began to unlock the safety mechanisms of the Shelter, "we're coming out."

* * *

It was odd to see a familiar face among the unknown humans. _Shizu, I think she's called._ The short eyepatch-wearing battle maid wore the same uniform as she last saw her, only this time, she had additional items on her person. A headset that covered her ears and had a stick attached to it. She wore the same vest as the Lizardman and the humans. Other than her large magic rifle on her hip, she also carried another rifle on her shoulder. _"Every gun made by a company is named something. This is an _M1 Garand_, a semi-automatic rifle that can shoot up to 500 yards away before losing speed and falling to the ground."_

Those words rang out through Crusch as she remembered what Geronimo had taught her about his world. And the dead man. He told her to "cleanse the Control Point." She didn't know how so she let Jesse try it. The invisible being with her gave the human woman the power to cleanse the horribly corrupted area that she assumed was a Control Point and fixed the environment around her

"Hi, I'm Emily Pope. It's a, uh, pleasure to meet you, Director Lulu." The human woman's words took the Lizardman's mind back to reality.

"Just Lulu would do," she said, awkwardly.

"Okay, Lulu," Pope was a bit flustered. It was most likely from the fact that the researcher had never seen a demi-human before. "Somehow this hostile force, this-"

"Hiss?" Jesse suggested.

"That works. Somehow the Hiss has…" The scientist's words began to fade away as Crusch began thinking about what was happening back home. Worry had gripped her heart._ Is everyone in my tribe alright?_

* * *

Maintenance Sector

Janitorial Department

Janitor's Office

"Do you have other songs that is not the Finnish tango?~"

It was quite boring in his office. Though it was quite spacious for an office, the janitor, Ahti, barely has any musical diversity in his collection, other than the Old Gods of Asgard and a Finnish tango song. In her opinion, Entoma would've liked to hear the sounds of screaming and suffering over the same foreign songs over and over again.

"Järveks' luulin merta kerran", runon lausui hän."

"Never mind." The insectoid battle maid sighed and shook her head in resignation as she listened to the aging janitor sing along with the song in his "Pony-brand" music box while helping him with the dusting. She had been stuck in the Maintenance Sector of the FBC ever since the lockdown. For a while, she was confused as to why, until various combatants and security personnel of the Bureau appeared around her at the NSC Power Plant. They had _literally_ appeared from seemingly nowhere. They interrupted her when she was about to take off and throw away the HRA vest down to the dark abyss. But after killing the Guards and Rangers, Ahti the janitor decided to appear behind her with his mop and cart of cleaning supplies. He warned her in his oddball roundabout way that she shouldn't remove the vest.

"Lest you become one with the red demons, you must keep Hedron on you," he had said.

Entoma couldn't understand Ahti sometimes, but it did beat being all alone wearing a ridiculous vest.

_If only there was something to eat,_ she thought. She was getting tired of eating some of the human foods like hamburgers, fried chicken, roasted grasshoppers, and a Finnish dish called poronkaristys. She wouldn't mind eating a fresh human every once in a while.

* * *

Mirror Debrief (Transcript)

Date unknown

Mirror Researcher: Debrief for Mirror Excursion 7-C. Subjects are Agent Hardy and Nazarick native, Lupusregina Beta. Hardy and Lupusregina spent approximately three hours in the Mirror, the longest time on record. Can you describe your experience inside, Agent Hardy?

Hardy: (Unintelligible speech)

Mirror Researcher: What about you Lupusregina? What have you experienced?

Lupusregina Beta: (Unintelligible speech)

Mirror Researcher: Agent Hardy and Lupusregina are physically healthy, all tests have come back clean. Yet the speech issue has persisted for hours.

Hardy: (Unintelligible speech)

Lupusregina Beta: (Unintelligible speech)

Mirror Researcher: Calm down! The both of you. It could be psychosomatic, but the fact that this occurred after returning from the Mirror makes a paranatural explanation more likely. I recommend a battery of tests and a class-orange quarantine.

* * *

Containment Sector

At the Panopticon entrance

Frederick Langston had almost fallen asleep from exhaustion due to watching the security cameras for any containment breach. Ever since the hostile came to the Oldest House, many Altered Items got loose, including the Benicoff TV in Cell 715. It was especially bad with the Benicoff TV since it was an O.o.P classified as a Category 5, meaning it could warp everything within its vicinity.

He, and two Rangers with him, heard a whoosh from outside of their space. By instinct, the Rangers aimed their Lewis guns at where they heard the sound and waited. A girl stepped out. She had an asymmetrical look to her attire and had pieces of armor on her person. Her hair and eyes were heterochromatic, featuring silver and black (for her hair) and black and silver (for her eyes). She looked…bored.

Having felt he had now seen it all, Langston asked the girl in his tired tone, "May we help you miss?"

At first she didn't say anything, but then she moved her right hand behind her back. The Rangers had their fingers on the triggers. She pulled out a Rubik's cube. "A Black Pyramid appeared to me in my dreams, telling me to come find the Federal Bureau of Control. I found a thin piece of rope back in the Black Scripture headquarters and it brought me to a strange inn, which later brought me here," she spoke calmly. "Are you part of that organization? If so-"

Her body seemingly disappeared, leaving behind the floating puzzle toy in the air. "-can you fix my puzzle toy?"

* * *

Rubik's Cube toy (OOP-23 KE)

Acquisition Date: June 23, 2021

Containment Location: N/A

Containment Procedure: No unique procedures needed.

Description/Parautility: The object is a 3X3X3 Rubik's Cube imitation,native to the owner/binder's homeworld. Like its counterpart, the item is a combination puzzle that has colors like white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow.

The object allows parautilitarians to [REDACTED] [REDACTED], rendering them [REDACTED].This effect lasts [REDACTED] minutes before [REDACTED] of the user is reapplied. When going on the offensive, the same resulting effect occurs.

Background: A girl named [REDACTED] [REDACTED] is currently one of the few parautilitarians to bound herself to the object. Its user arrived to the Oldest House via the [REDACTED] and appeared by the Panopticon entrance in the Containment Sector. Two Rangers, and Panopticon Supervisor, Frederick Langston, were eyewitnesses to the effects of the object. Testing required to find other possible abilities the object could contain. (see Case 115.3 for more details.)

VVVVVVVV

"Sankarin Tango" by Petri Alanko and Martin Stig Andersen

Vocals: Martti Suosalo

(From the original soundtrack for the video game, _Control_.)

_Play?_


	5. Chapter 4

*ABC* = Korean

_[ABC]_ = Russian

"_**ABC"**_/"ABC" = _**Japanese**_/English

VVVVVVV

Executive Sector

Communications Department

Gerome took a look inside a clip of a discarded submachine gun before putting it back down after finding no ammo for it. He and his dark elf friend, Mare Bello Fiore, have been hiding out in one of the Shelters in the Communications Department. But food supplies were running low, and they had to leave the safety of their Shelter. Gerome glanced at the dark elf boy, who had been silent as of late. He still remembered what happened four hours ago. The Oldest House had been known to mess with most modern technology, but there had been a new set of hiccups among the magic-users as of late. Magic in general would not work properly within the building, either with it going in and out, backfiring, casting a different spell than intended, or more permanently, limited usages. If it hadn't been for the former Marine, Mare would have been taken by the Hiss. Unfortunately, he and the little druid were running on fumes in terms of ammunition and magic, respectively. Especially on magic, since there was little to no plant life for the boy to find and interact with.

"…" Though he was silent, and looked calm, Gerome could tell that the young dark elf was not okay in any way. The Hiss had almost kidnapped him to who knows where, and the only things that protected him and the elf were the HRA vests. "Are you doing okay?" Gerome inquired softly as he did an ammo count on his M1911A1.

"…I-I'll be fine. W-We just need to find the others a-and we will be safe." It was a miracle that Mare did not immediately cry after almost being kidnapped by Hiss-controlled Bureau agents. But it still left the former Marine concerned for the young elf. For the first time since they had left the Shelter two hours ago, the Hiss began trying to kidnap Mare. For whatever reason it could be, he might never understand until later.

"Okay, if you say so." Gerome held on to Mare's hand as they walked cautiously through the ominously empty hallways of the Oldest House.

* * *

At the Hotline Chamber

"Something feels wrong with this place, Geronimo," Mare whispered. They were currently resting at the Hotline Chamber, where an Object of Power currently resided. He and the Nazarick natives were warned multiple times to never touch the phone, or they could die from psychic trauma. The interior of the chamber itself was ridiculously huge for a room. At the center of the room was the O.o.P., an old, red Bakelite telephone called the Hotline. There was usually a bridge that connected the long corridor to the platform/room that contained the phone. However, there was nothing there but the black abyss down below. Not that Gerome could gain access to the phone anyway. Directors are the only ones allowed to use it, after all.

Recently, the human soldier and the dark elf boy have been stalked by a certain floating Hiss-corrupted agent. That agent was once someone named Alberto Tomassi, who, according to the ID tag left on a counter in the Mail Room, was the Head of Communications.

_God damn it,_ he mentally grumbled. _Just when I needed you, you just upped and died, becoming Hiss in the process._

"**Going somewhere?"**

Near Gerome and Mare was the Hiss-corrupted Tomassi. The boy gasped and hid behind the former Marine's back. While the man's pants were still on, the shirt was in tatters. Frankly, there was only one thing left to do for Gerome and Mare.

"RUN!" He grabbed the druid's hand and zoomed back towards the Mail Room.

* * *

Just outside the Mail Room

For the new Director of the FBC, she felt that having a power you were not born with was unnatural. But because her magic was connected to nature itself, it was difficult to even use it at all in an environment mostly made of stone, metal and marble. So to make up for it, she had her human companion, Jesse Faden, to push the Hiss out of an Object of Power and bound it to her. The O.o.P., a flat square thing called a Floppy Disk, gave her the ability to levitate any surrounding objects towards her and launch them at a great distance at high speed. Jesse had the Floppy Disk bounded to her as well, giving her the same "Launch" power.

Using Launch was something Crusch needed to get used to.

Beep! The doors to the Mail Room were unlocked. They went through and were met with a gruesome sight. Dead bodies were spread throughout the room. Blood was splattered on the floor and walls, at least on the bottom floor.

POW! POW!

They froze at the sound of gunfire. Then came the sound of quick footsteps as two figures appeared from the other side of the Mail Room.

"Help!" the running man shouted, holding the hand of a young dark elf. A Hiss-corrupted agent floated behind them, chasing them.

"**Give me the child!"** said the corrupted agent. **"He belongs with us!"**

Immediately, the man fired at the agent at the same time as Crusch. "Lulu! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" It was Geronimo. A miracle had appeared in the form of a human soldier. "Dodge as you shoot! That should take him down."

* * *

Hotline Chamber

15 minutes later

The floating, dodging Hiss agent, who turned out to be the Head of Comms, Tomassi, was a pain to get rid of. While he was gone, Hiss-Tomassi was not dead. Crusch, Jesse, Gerome and Mare were at the Hotline Chamber looking at the gap between them and the Hotline.

BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!

BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!

The phone was really loud and was beginning to annoy Gerome so much that he wanted to shoot that stupid thing. He didn't care if it was an Object of Power, he wanted to shoot at it.

"'Remember the rule of Three'," Jesse read a sign to Crusch, who was struggling to read English. Doing as it said, the Director pulled the light switch cord above her three times. At the third pull, she disappeared.

* * *

Oceanview Motel & Casino, Montana

She remembered the words of the previous Director back from before she pulled the cord three times.

"_Oceanview Motel & Casino…dream logic…the light switch cord…the door with the Black Pyramid…"_

On both sides were doors that, she assumed, lead to stranger worlds other than hers and the world Geronimo came from. She found the door with the upside-down Black Pyramid, but like all the doors, it was locked. The light switch cord was nowhere to be seen, meaning that the female Lizardman will have to push forward on her own. She walked to where there was the most light. To her left was a door to the outside, furniture, and pictures of nature. To her right was the front desk, similar to those seen in inns, shelves and a door with the words "CLEANING MAN" in her language. It confused her because throughout her time in the Bureau, everything was in English.

Shaking her head, Crusch stood in the lobby, deep in thought. She was stuck in some puzzle, sure, but there had to be a reason why. And suddenly, it hit her.

"The Rule of Three! It must apply to this place as well. Jesse did read to me that the "Rule of Three applied" to something."

She began doing whatever came to mind and did it three times. She tried jumping, tapping, clapping, stomping, blinking, knocking, and even walk in circles. Nothing worked. "What am I missing in here?"

She saw a bell on the front desk. She walked to it and rang it.

Ding! Creak…

The Chieftain of Red Eye looked to her left and saw a door had opened the moment she rang the bell. She rang it two more times.

Ding! Creak…

Ding! Creak…

She walked over to the third door and found a key chain. It had a Black Pyramid and key attached to the chain. Happy with her result, she grabbed the key chain and walked to the door with the Black Pyramid.

She struggled to unlock the door, but finally managed to do it, open the door and enter the room. The light switch cord was there again and a painting of the Hotline Chamber with a bridge to the Hotline. She pulled the cord three times.

* * *

Hotline Chamber

The bridge was there the moment she was back in the Bureau. Her friends behind her were freaked out about what had happened. It seems that what felt like thirty minutes to Crusch was only ten seconds for her friends. She walked the bridge to the ringing O.o.P. with nervous deep breaths. She was told by Emily Hope that the Hotline was a special kind of communication device, because unlike the phones used outside of the Bureau, this one made connections to other dimensions, usually to the Astral Plane. In Hope's words, it was a direct link between the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control and the Board. And to top it off, it was a private link, meaning the Hotline is for Director's ears only.

She was now in front of the Hotline, the phone constantly ringing. Crusch picked it up, making the ringing stop, and lifted it to her ears—

* * *

Astral Plane

The Hotline/Seashell is a Transmitter/Bridge

Directors can call the Board/Long Distance

There wasn't much obstacles, other than the hostile beings within the Astral Plane. Other than that, it was pretty easy and she got to the Hotline and heard more from the Board.

Well Done/Dialed, Director!

You can contact Us/Past Selves

In the Hotline/Collectibles Menu

We expect compulsive/weekly calls

Crusch picked it up again and she was back in reality. She could hear Trench again, but this time, with clarity on what he was saying.

"A Director needs a team. My management team."

* * *

While Crusch Lulu was using the Hotline, Gerome, Jesse and Mare were facing another lingering problem, which was standing ten feet away from them. Standing at the end of the hall was Aura Bella Fiora. And she had her back towards them while emitting a heavy amount of Hiss resonance. Mare had almost called out to his sister before having his mouth covered by the human soldier. He could not believe that a human was bold enough to not let him talk her, even though she was clearly "infected" by the Hiss.

"I'm done. Let's head back to—"

The female Lizardman stopped in her tracks and raised her Service Weapon towards the infected dark elf girl. Aura stood still.

"_**Aura? Are you alright?"**_ Gerome said.

Aura said nothing.

"Lady Aura, can you hear me?" asked the Director.

She said nothing.

"Miss Aura? Are you okay?" Jesse asked in concern.

She stood still.

"_**A-Aura?"**_ Mare spoke up.

…Aura turned around. She looked the same as before, but her eyes were no longer green (right) and blue (left). Instead, they were yellow (left) and red (right).

She smiled at first, seemingly at her brother, but then froze when her eyes settled on someone behind Mare. Specifically, Jesse Faden. Her small childish smile warped into a sneer as she said, "You? _**YOU!**_"

The dense red Hiss resonance around the dark elf girl became denser and more intense as she levitated two feet off the ground. In her rage, she shouted, _**"YOU ARE THE ONE WHOM WE LET LIVE IN THIS WORLD, AND THE ONE BEFORE. YOU, THE ONE AND ONLY CHILD OF A COPY. TRAITOR. LIAR! INFIDEL! AGENT ORANGE! PEST! SNAKE! SNAKE! SNAKE!**_ ORAnge peel."

She landed back on the ground, took a deep breath and looked at the group as the Hiss resonance around her simmered down a little. Her yellow and red eyes glared at the human parautilitarian before settling her eyes on Mare.

"Forgive me, dear brother," she apologized with a creepy small smile. Gerome assumed that it was meant to be endearing. Her eyes certainly showed something that should never be in a child, 78-years-old or not. Her soft monotonous voice was not doing her any favors. "I was not in my right mind. The moment I saw that _whore_ of a woman standing behind you…"

The way the word was spat out was not missed by anyone. Aura grinned sadistically and narrowed her eyes at Jesse before softening her expression to how it was before when looking at her twin brother. "…I just felt this rage overflow and I got carried away. So again, forgive me if the way I show my _love_ has unnerved you."

Mare looked pale and was left speechless from how…different his sister was acting. But before he could say a word, the beast-tamer raised her arms forward. "For the sake of everyone's curiosity, I am surrendering to the Bureau. In exchange, I want you, brother dearest, to walk along with me until the agents lock me up."

*Freeze!*

Gerome jumped at the sudden word coming from behind Aura as muzzles of a Type 88 assault rifle and an AKS-74U carbine appeared, aimed at the little dark elf. He glanced at the owners of the firearms.

***You** have been a pain in our asses. If we were in my country, you would be shot dead. We won't even cremate your body, not even a burial.*

*Easy Hae-min. We have to go through this together. Until then, we must work with the Americans.*

Shirokova wore a grey outfit that consisted of sweatpants, a T-shirt, an HRA, and sneakers. Hae-min wore what was left of her KPA uniform, wearing only her dress pants, boots, and blue and white striped undershirt. She also wore an HRA.

*Fine,* the KPA woman grumbled. *But when we give them her, they better give her what she deserves for dodging us like that.*

*You know they don't work like that,* the vampire spy chastised her comrade.

*Yeah, I know. It doesn't hurt to dream, right?*

*Excuse me, ladies,* they both turned their heads to Aura, who looked amused at their discussion about her. *I appreciate that you are all "arresting" me, but I am already turning myself in. I'm just waiting for my brother to be with me.*

Gerome wasn't sure on what to do. One, Aura has been corrupted by the Hiss. And two, she wanted her brother for a short time in exchange for surrendering to the Bureau. He was so deep in his thoughts on how to handle the situation calmly that he didn't notice Mare put on his best brave face and walked to his sister, despite all the warning signs.

* * *

Central Executive

In the end, the dark elf girl walked to where more of the remaining agents of the FBC had set up camp, or something, with her twin brother and company in tow. She hummed a happy tune as she held on to her brother's hand with such intimacy. Mare showed discomfort, but kept a solemn face on, if only for everyone's safety, including his. The security guards immediately raised their weapons at her as they approached her. Though reluctant, Aura released her brother's hand and walked with her hands up. The guards promptly took her away to an upstairs room where they would keep an eye on her until an HRA cage is built. Crusch and Jesse walked to the conference room to talk to Hope while Shirokova and Hae-min were searched for additional weapons and documents on their person. Gerome took Mare away from everyone and sat him down on a bed inside the Shelter. He sat beside him, in hopes of comforting him. It wasn't working.

_That was Aura? It can't be her,_ Mare thought, blocking out all sounds. He was in total disbelief that the girl he held hands with recently was his sister. He felt that he, the humans, the Lizardman, the communists, and whatever that thing was around Ms. Faden, wouldn't stand a chance against her, due to the sheer amount of Hiss she had within her. If what Director Lulu said about the Hiss was true, Aura was as good as gone. Or worse, she was still in there and she has no control on her body or that the Hiss was slowly corrupting her mind, hence the flirting. He hoped that it was the first issue and NOT the second.

* * *

Aura stood still, unfazed by all the guns aimed at her. She kept her newfound "ability skills" hidden away from them. The Hiss had given her something more than what the Supreme Being, Ainz Ooal Gown, could ever give her. But the Bureau has her brother. They **HAVE** her beautiful, girly brother. They have something that could **NEVER** be replaced. For now, however, she must comply with the human agency and fake surrendering to them. Meanwhile, she had something planned for them, in the name of the Hiss.

Facing away from the human guards with a smirk much too sinister for an elf child, she murmured, "Do not fear, dear brother. The time of Man will end. The time of Elves will end. The time of ALL living things will end and you will become one of us. No, on second thought, I'll keep you for myself. Then we will be happy together…"

"Hush it, little lady," one of the security guard grunted.

The dark elf Ranger clenched her teeth in fury as she began to think of many ways to torture, and then kill, the Bureau, and her ex-companions, for the sake of love.

_It is all to protect my dear brother,_ was what she thought as she sighed deeply and held her hands together. _And no one will stop me._


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: This stupid pandemic is slowing me down. I'm sure there are other writers who are struggling with this. No matter, I will not let it stop me.**

*ABC* = Korean

_[ABC]_ = Russian

"_**ABC"**_/"ABC" = _**Japanese**_/English

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Executive Sector

Central Executive

Mare snapped back to reality. He looked to the side to see Geronimo leaning against the wall nearby, sleeping and snoring softly. At first he wasn't sure why he wasn't in Nazarick. Then he remembered, he and the Nazarick residents were "summoned" to the headquarters of the human government agency, the Federal Bureau of Control, by unknown means. He remembered that his sister was…he didn't even want to think about it.

The dark elf boy got up and started wandering around, hoping to find something to do, or someone to talk to. He could see Shizu, but she was currently guarding the door that leads to Aura's cage. He never noticed it before, but in place of her usual weapons was one of the human weapons. Most likely due to dwindling resources for ammunition, Shizu needed to make do with a rifle that looked more like a weirdly shaped staff with metal parts in it. At least, to Mare, it looked like a staff.

He found a folder that might contain some information on their situation. Instead, he picked up a document on the Hiss. Specifically, he was reading a document on some human deformed by the Hiss. According to Emily Pope's research, one of the many varieties of Hiss the Bureau was investigating was something called a Hiss Elevated. They appear slightly emaciated and have gray skin, but otherwise, they still look human. The only difference was the red glow beneath their skin, hairlessness, loss of a top, the ability to telekinetically lift and throw objects, and the ability to levitate. There were other documents that fascinated and confused Mare. The things that fascinated the dark elf boy was that, as far as he knew, Objects of Power and Altered Items come in the form of everyday things like toys, tools, a weapon, even a fake horse that was part of a carousel. What did confuse him was a subject about the Board, its power over various Objects of Power, and how completely unknown the Board was.

With no success, he decided to wander around more until he found what Gerome had called an elevator. From it, the dark elf could hear an old man humming a song, even though it was empty. He entered the elevator to find the source, but when he did, the doors slid closed, leaving him no choice but to ascend and wait the doors to open again.

* * *

**Nazarick**

**Throne Room**

**New World**

The place was warped beyond recognition thanks to the demons. The typical response would have been to push back the invasive force, if only the invasive force a physical body. Yet despite the futility, most of the combatants kept on trying, using magic and otherworldly skills to remove the corruptive pest from their home. The rest, having escaped with the non-combatants, protected them using the strange devices distributed by the strange otherworldly human. He looked like a traveling merchant, but he never took money. He just gave away his strange contraptions and rode away in his horseless carriage. This was it, Nazarick was beyond saving.

* * *

Containment Sector

Central Containment

Ding! The doors finally opened. Mare stepped out to the new area, gripping his staff as he does. He was still in the Oldest House, but being alone with nothing but his staff, an HRA and a revolver with six shots. He whipped it out and let his staff hang on his back to conserve what was left of his magic. Using his size to his advantage, he waded his way around the sector while avoiding the Hiss-corrupted Bureau agents. But at the Logistics area, he was stopped by heavily corrupted surfaces caused by the Hiss. Now he was not sure on what to do. He didn't have enough magic to purify the Control Point and with the Hiss everywhere, there were little places to hide. He fled to the Shelter in Central Containment and hid inside there. There, he found a thin rope with a handle on the end hanging from the ceiling. It looked similar to the one that Lizardman chieftain used to create the bridge at the Hotline Chamber.

"Where does this go to…?" Mare uttered as he propped a chair under the cord and grasped its handle. He had a bad feeling about it.

On the first tug, he felt a presence forming behind him.

On the second tug, that presence came closer.

Before he could pull the cord a third time, a gloved hand held his shoulders, paralyzing the young druid in place.

"_**Where do you think you are going?"**_ Aura, chipper as ever, moved to face her brother. Mare should've known. You could never trust humans to do their jobs. _**"I was getting lonely**_**…my love.**_**"**_

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How much did the Hiss violate her mind? "…I'm your brother."

"Ah, that," the tomboy elf frowned, as if hearing something distasteful. "You know, I was watching you the entire time, seeing if you were being treated well." She reached out to touch his face, but the young elf boy leaned away, prompting her to drop her hand. "And I guess you're doing fine."

Mare couldn't go anywhere. Aura was loose again. And this time, she was sticking to him like peanut butter. There was no one to protect him from his twisted twin. Aura put her hand behind her back; meanwhile Mare was ready to take out his revolver, preparing for an attack. She pulled out a candy bar wrapped in plastic (he learned that from Geronimo). She handed it to Mare.

"Wh –What are you doing?" he still had his hand on the handle of his revolver. For all he knew, what was left of his sister, she could be playing nice like she always had in the past. Then, when he drops his guards, she bullies him. It always happens.

"I felt bad that the Hiss is stressing you out, so I thought I could cheer you up with some chocolate I found in a vending machine," she chirped, clearly insisting that he take the candy bar now before she got angry. What did she want? She clearly stopped him from pulling the light switch cord a third time. Ugh… Sometimes he wished the Supreme Being, Lord Ainz, were here.


End file.
